How to Make a Speech Bubble in Adobe InDesign

by Elizabeth Mott, Demand Media

Speech bubbles are often used in cartoons and similar artwork.

Creatas Images/Creatas/Getty Images

Whether you're an avid reader of graphic novels or a casual fan of cartoons, you've seen speech bubbles, also called speech balloons. These elliptical text containers feature curved tails that point toward the character whose dialogue they provide. To create a speech bubble in Adobe InDesign, you draw two simple objects and combine them.

Step 1

Choose the "Ellipse Frame" tool from the Adobe InDesign toolbox. Click and drag on the InDesign document page to create an elliptical frame large enough to contain your character's dialogue.

Step 2

Choose the "Pen" tool from the Adobe InDesign toolbox. Click once inside the ellipse you just drew, either on the left side, if your speech bubble points to the left, or on the right. Click outside the ellipse and below the first point you drew, then drag to create a smooth point that will form the pointed end of the speech bubble's tail. Drag to the left if your speech bubble points to the left and vice versa.

Select the "Convert Direction Point" tool from the Adobe InDesign toolbox. This tool nests underneath the Pen tool and resembles a rotated "V." If your speech bubble points to the left, grab the left handle of the smooth point and drag it back to the right so it forms a "V" shape with the other control point. If your speech bubble points to the right, drag the right handle toward the left instead.

Step 4

Switch back to the "Pen" tool. Click once on the anchor point you just edited, reactivating it so the next point you draw will continue your line instead of starting a new one. Click inside the ellipse and drag upward to draw the other side of the speech bubble's tail. If your speech bubble points toward the left, place this new anchor point to the right of the first point you drew. If your speech bubble points toward the right, place your new anchor point to the left of your first point.

Step 5

Choose the "Selection" tool from the Adobe InDesign toolbox. Select both your elliptical frame and the open-ended tail shape you drew.

Step 6

Choose "Pathfinder" from the Object & Layout fly-out menu of the Window menu to open the Pathfinder Panel. Click on the "Add" button at the left end of the row of tool icons. Adobe InDesign converts your two objects into one speech bubble.

Step 7

Activate the "Stroke" icon near the bottom of the Adobe InDesign toolbox by clicking on it to bring it to the front. Double-click on it to bring up the Color Picker so you can choose a color for the outline around your speech bubble.

Tips

If you are familiar with Adobe Illustrator's drawing tools, you will recognize Adobe InDesign's comparable tools and how to use them.

Use the "Direct Selection" tool to reshape your speech bubble by manipulating its individual anchor points.

Choose typefaces for speech-bubble dialogue carefully. If your type collection includes any typefaces that look like casual handwriting -- or, better yet, like cartoon writing -- select these as first choices for this application. Avoid Comic Sans, which does not offer the typographic values its name suggests.

About the Author

Elizabeth Mott has been a writer since 1983. Mott has extensive experience writing advertising copy for everything from kitchen appliances and financial services to education and tourism. She holds a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in English from Indiana State University.

Photo Credits

Have Feedback?

Thank you for providing feedback to our Editorial staff on this article. Please fill in the following information so we can alert the Small Business editorial team about a factual or typographical error in this story. All Fields are required.